Martin Custom Shop 00-41 Grand Concert Acoustic Guitar, Guatemalan Rosewood, Italian Alpine Spruce

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

We're proud to present this absolutely stunning, one-of-a-kind Martin Custom Shop 00-41 Grand Concert that we collaborated on with our friends at Martin Guitars! We chose a host of special appointments that make this instrument, quite frankly, truly remarkable - Guatemalan rosewood back, sides, and headstock, highly-flamed koa for the binding material, striking select abalone inlaid all throughout the instrument, "alternate torch" fretboard inlays, a highly-ornate, vintage-style headstock logo, and a gorgeous piece of Italian Alpine Spruce for the top.

For this creation, as always, we kept in mind how the woods would look together, and more importantly, how they would sound together. This one really did come out great in all regards. The Guatemalan rosewood of the body will retain the same warm tonal qualities of regular rosewood, but adds extra dimension and depth with its wonderful caramel machiatto tones, and the bookmatched grain will have you staring at this guitar's back just as you do the front. The headstock veneer looks absolutely phenomenal as well, featuring a unique lighter-toned piece of the Guatemalan rosewood, along with the intricate inlays. The Italian Alpine spruce is subtle yet stunning, having the same classic vibe of Sitka spruce with an added "3D" depth to the grain.

The classic combination of rosewood, spruce top, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard is Martin's traditional combo of tonewoods for a reason - it has been the formula for the most balanced, pure acoustic tonal resonance since the Pre-War era. The grand concert body shape will provide more-than-respectable volume, clear and full tone, and have a wide dynamic range conducive to both finger-picking, strummed chords, and single notes. Along with the sheer amount of ornamentation on this instrument, it'll truly be the center of attention both in its looks and sound.

For the players here at the shop, the greatest "Custom Shop" instruments combine the tone and playability that a certain model is known for with appointments such as the ones on this one that make it a true one-of-a-kind instrument and heirloom piece. As expected from the Custom Shop of arguably the most renowned and storied acoustic guitar builder in American guitar history, the playability, tonality and build quality are all top-notch.